Apparatus for manufacturing glass.



No. 839,220. y PATENTD DEG. 25, 1906.

J. R. SPEER &i G. H. HARVEY. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING GLASS.

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APPLIOATION I'ILED APR.20. 1906.

ssm sm. &Emm h -mxmmmeys No. 839,220. PATENTED DEC. 25, 1965.

I J. R. SPEER & G. H. HARVEY.

APPARATUS POR MANUFACTURING GLASS.

APPLIOATION PILED APB.20,1906.

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IRSpeev oxx. &Hoxveg `No. 839,220. PATENTED DED. 25, 1906.

J. R. SPEER &L G. H, HARVEY. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING GLASS.

APPLIOATION FILED APB.. 20, 1906.

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W JRPeet GHHNweg 'Www .mamane .a j W UNITED sTArEs JAMES RAMSEY SPEER, OF PITTSB OFFICE;

URG, AND GEORGE H. HARVEY, OF

GLENFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO BROWNSVILLE GLASS COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNsYLvANlA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA APPARATUS FOR MANUFAGTURING GLASS.

i Specification of Letters Patent.

ratented Dec. 25, 1906.

Application filed April 20, 1906. Serial Ne. 312,'790.

" of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, citizens of the United States, have invented or V discovered new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Glass, of which the following is a specificaton.

Our invention relates to apparatus for preparing molten glass for the operation of drawing the same into cylinders, fiats, or other shapes. j

Heretofore it has not been the practice to draw cylinders much exceeding eighteen inches in diameter. This restrction in size is to a' large degree due to the erroneous notion that it is necessary after-each drawing operation to reheat the residue from the last drawing operation and drain the drawingreceptacle efore supplying the latter With a fresh batch of glass. To reheat the pots or 'eceptacles, they are sometimes lowered into the furnace and tilted, so that the residue may be drained off thoroughly. Sometimes they are reversed in their drawing positions. Such Operations With receptacles five or six feet or more in diameter are not readily made, especially with receptacles compos'ed of brick, tile, or similar material, and with metallic reoeptacles their weight and the large space they would require for such operations render them less satisfactory than if small receptacles were employed.

We find that it is' not necessary to drain the receptacle after a drawing operation to prei operation. We may The receptacle and the cover pare properly for a succeeding operation i We prefer that the drawing-receptaele be stationary and that there shall be provided there-for a cover, which, with the receptacle, is so shaped as to form a fire or combustion chamber therebetween, ,so that the heat shallbe radiated upon the surface of the glass. are made so that one, preferably the cover, is removable in order to eXpose the lass for the drawing a so heat the glass in the reeeptacle by conduction through the walls thereof. i u

We find that the residue before mentioned may be perfectly remelted or reheated, so

that it shall form a homogeneous mixture with the new batch of glass added to it for the next succeeding drawing.

The common practice has been to bring the drawing-pot up to a high degree of heat, then to pour the heart of the molten glass contained in a ladle into the pot, at the same time endeavoring to prevent the chill or partly-solidified glass which forms on the eX- terior, bottom, and walls of the ladle from 'going into, the pot, and later to draw the sheet or cylinder from the pot. The above practice is a poor makeshift in a commercial senseand tends to make the result of every pour of molten' glass into the pot and every draw therefrom a matter of chance, for the following reasons: If the pot is too hot, blisters 'appear which spoil the product.- If the pot lS not suflieiently hot, the molten glass stiffens as it is oured upon the bottom of the pot and wil not spread uniformly, causing the drawn glass to be of variab e thicknessj If the ladler pours in any of the chill, it will produce ropy or thread-like portions in the drawn glass. Any of these defects are liable to occur at every pour,'to overcome which is the object of our invention.

In the practice of our invention after the initial draw we preferably reduce the adhering end of the detached drawn glass, which is to all intents solidified, to a drawing condition by coverng the pot or receptalce 'and applying heat directly to the glass. We then remove the cover, and preferably pour the contents of the ladle, including the chill, into the receptacle and replace the cover. The heat is sufficient to reduce the glass to the proper consistency when the cover is removed and the draw made. Thus we obviate all danger of spoiling the contents of the receptacle and assure molten glass of the desired consistency and uniformity for drawing perfect sheets or cylinders.

Referring to the drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of one of the many forms which our invention may assume. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan of Fig. 1 with the furnace cover and the track omtted. Fig. 5 is a IOO horizontal section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2, and. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a modification of' our invention.

lteferring now to Figs. 1 to 5, 1 represents the body of the furnace, which has at the top the annular recess or glass-holding receptacle 2 ol" a suitable depth and width to contain the quantity of glass necessary to produce an article of the required length and thickness. Preferably the receptaele will have its upper portion somewhat narrowed, so to provide the overhang 3, which prevents to a degree the entranee of air into the receptacle during the drawing operation, thus causing the glass to be sonewhat more fluid and in a better condition for drawing at the line where the glass commences to be lifted from the receptacle as it drawn. The receptacle 2, as shown on Figs. 1 to 5, is an integral part of the body of the furnace; but it may be constructed of a separate part, as shown in Fig. 6, hereinafter to be described. The cover 4 for the furnace is mounted on the whcels 5, which run on the track 6. This track is pivoted intermediate of its ends on the shaft 7 and is rotated on this shaft by neans of the motor-cylinder 8 or in any other approved manner. ln Fig. 2 the cover 4 is shown seated on the furnace-top over the receptacle 2. When it is desired to remove the cover, the track is tilted from the inelined position shown in Fig. 2, so as to cause the cover to run upon the track away from the furnace toward the cylinder 8. When it is desired to place the cover on the furnace, the track is tilted to cause the cover to run toward the furnace, the stops 9 being placed upon the rails, so as to cause the cover to come to rest at the proper place over the furnace, whereupon the track is tilted to lower the cover upon its seat on the furnace. .l n order to heat the glass in the receptacle 2, the cover 4 is concave or arched, so as to form a heatingchamber between the cover and the receptacle, the said chamber being, in fact, composed of said cover and the upper portion of the body 1, which contains the said receptacle. Gas is admitted to the said chanber 10 through the inlet-ports 11 and passes out therefrom through the waste-ports 12, which extend vertically through the furnace-body and lead into the transverse passage 13. This passage 13 opens into the horizontal passage 14, leading to the stack. 15 represents burners or supply-pipes for conducting the gas to the inlets 11. In order to hoat the bottom of the receptacle 2, we provide the burners 16, which introduce gas into the horizontal passages 17, lying beneath the recess or receptacle 2, as shown in Fig. 5. These passages lead into the vertical passage 18, which opens into the aforenentioned passage 14. In case it should be desirable to i heat the portion of the recess or receptacle 2 which lies between the inlet ends of the pas- &39,220

sages 17, we have provided the cross-passage 19, connecting the two said iassages 17 directly under the recess 2. Ii the cross-passage 19 is not desired, it may be omtted or partially filled with brick or tile 20, as shown on Fig. 5.

When it is desired to draw a the cover 4 is seated on the furnace, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The gas is turned on at the several burners and ignited and the receptacle heated to a sullicient degree to receive a batch of molten glass. The cover 4 is then removed from the furnace in the manncr hereinabove described and a batch of molten glass poured into the receptacle. If the glass in the rcceptacle is not sulliciently heated for drawing, the cover is replaced on the furnaee and the heating continued until the glass reaches the proper temperature or lluidity. The cover is then removed and the drawing m ade in any desired manner. After the drawing has been completed the drawn article is severed from the glass which rc- Inains in the receptacle. This remaining portion of glass has hcretofore given rise to much ditliculty, because it would not properly become fused and amalganated with the next batch of molten glass poured into the receptacle, causing the next article drawn to be worthless by reason of its stringy or ropy character. In order to avoid this stringy or ropy character of the glass, it has been common hitherto to lower the glass-receptacle into a turnaee or to tilt it or to invert it in a furnace, so as to reheat the sane and cause the residue of the glass therein to run out. After the receptacle was thoroughly rehcated and freed fron the said residue it was again brought into the drawing position and refilled with glass for another drawing operation. By our invention we avoid the stringy or ropy character of the glass, and preferably do not lower, tilt, or rotate our receptacle for the purpose of reheating the same or nelting the residue of glass therein. It is only necessary to replace the cover on the furnace over the receptacle and reheat at once the receptacle and the residue, this reheating preferably taking place before the glass for the next drawing operation has been poured into the receptacle.

It is not convenient in the drawing of glass cylinders of extraordinary size to provide nechanism for moving the receptacle into a position other than its working position for the purpose of reheating it. We are drawing cylinders five or six feet or nore in diameter, and it will be readily seen that it would be sonewhat hazardous to invert pots or receptacles composed of brick, clay, or the like for drawing -glass cylinders of such extraordnary'dianeters, and it would be inconvonient to provide mechanisn for inverting or tilting pots or receptacles composed of metal.

Referring now to Fig. 6, the receptacle 2' glass cylinder,

is shown as composed of a plate having annular depression theren to contain the necessary amount of glass for a dra eration; but it is to be understood that in any other desred manner.

receptacle may be const'ucted as shown in the remaining figures of this a I lication or is shown provided means, as the eye 21 into which fits the hook 22, carried by the boom or jib 23 of a crane or by any other de sired mechanism Gas is admtted through 'the cover by one or more openings 24, and

the products of combuston escape fromsaid cover through one or more passages 2 5 therein. It is not material to our invention how the gas is adrnitted into or taken from the chanber above the receptacle,- as these are details which may be worked out in various manners. The operation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 6 does not difer from that shown in the remaining figures. We do not desire to be limited to the pre- I i cise manner of conducting the gases through i; e

.sary, as 111 the furnace structure, although we prefer method shown. The images-through the' furnace structure may be variously constructed and connected so long as they are arranged to heat theglass properly while in the receptacie,

It is clear that our invention may 'be a plied to the making of sheet-giass, commo y called flatsf by simply changing the outline of the receptacle and the gas-passa es.

We believe' that by not inverting e receptacle for the purpose of melting out the residue of glass left after each drawing operation we avoid the formation of histers or large bubbles. When a t or ceptacle' is subjected to t e direct action of the flames, as 111 theusuai methods, its sur- -face is too highly heated where it is necesthese old methods, to maintain a temperature through the body of the pot or The receptacle to' enable the giass to remain fluid ene h te permit the drawing operation, ad efi'ect of this excessve heating is noticeabie by the number and size of 'the blisters or hubbes which are for-med when a fresh hatch of glass is poured upon the hghly-heated surface of the pot or :eee itacie. 'These Mistere have a most decid effect upon the surface of the product,

` and up to the present time no satisfactory means for preventing this has been discov ered- By our method, 0 to the fact thatthe reheating can easily done both before and after a batch of glass has been Iahe cover 4' died intothe pot, it is not newssary to overheat the pot, as the other methods requim We leave a small amount of glass` in the receptacle which has a very beneficial efiect when being reheated,- and when the new batch of glass is poured in u on it the tendency to form blisters or bubb es is almost` entirely done away with. The application of the hoat on the top of the glass to be reheateffect in doing away with any air-bubbles which may occur in pouring to the surface,

where theynaturally pass off and give no Im to be drawn, a heatradiating cham r above said receptacle, a cover constitung'a rtion of said chamber, and means -trave substantially horizontally for removing said cover.

3. The combination of a receptacle to contain lass to be drawn, a heat-raatn'g cover constituting a portion of said chamber, means for removing the cover hoizontally, and means in the receptacle for the introduction into said chamber of the gases of comhustion, and means in said receptacle for removing from said chamber the products of comhustion.

Signed at ?ittsburg, Pennsylvania,- this 'th day of April, 1906. e

L'. RAMSEY SPEER. GEORGE H HABVEY. witnesses:

F. N. Banem,

ed, as in our practice, has a further beneficial rabove said receptacle, aremovabe A 

